On April 15, in Hanoi, the Vietnam Network Security Electronic Magazine, under the direction of the National Network Security Association (NCA), in coordination with the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council VCCI and the Asia Foundation, organized the Forum "Safe Digital Future for Small and Medium Enterprises".
Foundation conditions for digital transformation
Speaking at the opening of the forum, Mr. Vu Duy Hien - Deputy Secretary General cum Chief of Office of the National Cyber Security Association said that many businesses are entering the digital environment with limited resources, lack of technology human resources, lack of appropriate tools and lack of experience in risk response, while cyberspace threats are increasingly sophisticated and complex.
For small and medium-sized enterprises, a fraud, data leakage, malware or brand forgery incident is not only a technical issue, but can directly affect the reputation, customers and existence of the business.
Mr. Vu Duy Hien said that small and medium-sized enterprises need to unify a clear awareness: Network safety and security are not outside of digital transformation, but are the foundational conditions for digital transformation to take place effectively and sustainably.
Speaking at the forum, Mr. Hoang Quang Phong - Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) said that digital security is no longer an option, but has become a prerequisite for businesses to survive and develop sustainably. More importantly, digital security needs to be viewed not only from a technical perspective, but as a strategic management issue; starting from the awareness of leaders, from building a corporate culture focused on risk management, to proactively investing and integrating network security into the entire value chain.
Directly threatening the survival of businesses
Speaking at the forum, Colonel, Dr. Nguyen Hong Quan - Deputy Director of the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention, Ministry of Public Security, Member of the Executive Committee, Head of the Data Security and Personal Data Protection Department - National Cyber Security Association, said that small and medium-sized enterprises currently account for a dominant proportion of the economy, but are often limited in resources, lacking technology personnel and experience in incident response. This makes many businesses at risk of becoming weak links in the digital ecosystem, easily attacked, defrauded, losing data, interrupting operations and directly affecting their reputation in the market.
In the context of data, digital platforms and artificial intelligence increasingly determining competitiveness, the Deputy Director of A05 affirmed that cybersecurity is no longer just a simple technical problem, but has become a core condition for businesses to maintain operations, protect market confidence and enhance their position in the value chain. The Colonel emphasized that safe digital transformation for SMEs is not only a matter for individual businesses, but also directly related to digital sovereignty, national prestige and the sustainable development of the Vietnamese economy.
Mr. Nguyen Hoa Cuong - Deputy Director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy Research, Central Policy and Strategy Committee said that SMEs account for 98% of the total number of enterprises; nearly 1.1 million operating enterprises by the end of 2025.
Mr. Cuong assessed that cybersecurity is a challenge for SMEs. The first is the increase in cyberattacks that directly threaten the survival of businesses. Second, cybersecurity awareness is still low, there are no specialized personnel for information security, and most only start investing when problems occur. Third, lack of long-term strategy, dependence on third-party platforms and being a "weak link" in the supply chain, "partial digitization" rather than "complete digital transformation".
